1. Field of the Invention
There is a continually pressing need for rapid, accurate qualitative and quantitative determinations of biologically active substances at extremely low concentrations. The purpose of the determination can be extremely varied. Today, there is a wide need for determining the presence of drugs or narcotics in body fluids, such as saliva, blood or urine. In addition, in medical diagnosis, it is frequently important to know the presence of various substances which are synthesized naturally by the body or ingested. These include hormones, both steroidal and polypeptides, prostaglandins, toxins, as well as other materials which may be involved in body functions. Frequently, one is concerned with extremely small amounts and occassionally, with very small differences in concentrations.
To meet these needs, a number of ways have been devised for analyzing for trace amounts of materials. A common method is to use thin layer chromatography (TLC). By determining the flow factors and using specific reagents, the presence of certain materials can be detected; in many instances, the particular material can be isolated and identified quantitatively, for example, by mass spectroscopy or gas phase chromatography. However, thin layer chromatography has a number of deficiencies in being slow, requiring a high degree of proficiency in its being carried out, being subject to a wide range of interfering materials, and suffering from severe fluctuations in reliability. Therefore, the absence of satisfactory alternatives has resulted in intensive research efforts to determine improved methods of separation and identification.
An alternative to thin layer chromatography has been radioimmunoassay. Here, antibodies are employed for specific haptens or antigens. A radioactive analog employing a radioactive atom of high flux is used and bound to the antigen. By mixing an antibody with solutions of the hapten or antigen and the radioactive hapten or antigen analog, the radioactive analog will be prevented from binding to the antibody in an amount directly related to the concentration of the hapten or antigen in the solution. By then separating the free radioactive analog from the antibody bound radioactive analog and determining the radioactivity of the separate components, one can determine the amount of hapten or antigen in the original solution.
The use of radioactive materials is not desirable for a variety of reasons. First, radioactivity creates handling problems and undesirable hazards. Secondly, the preparation of such compounds involves similar hazards, greatly enhanced by the much larger amounts of radioactive materials which are present. Because of their instability, the radioactive materials have only a short life. In addition, the use of radioactive materials requires a license from the Atomic Energy Commission, subjecting the licensee to review by the Commission as to the maintenance of minimum operating standards. These standards may change from time to time, so as to involve added expense and inconvenience to the licensee. Finally, the separation of the bound and unbound radioactive analog is difficult and subject to error. See, for example, Abraham, Prelim. Comm., 29, 866 (1969).
Besides the aforementioned materials, assays at extremely low concentrations would be desirable for a variety of pesticides, such as insecticides, bactericides, fungicides, etc., as well as other organic pollutants, both in the air and water. Organic pollutants may be assayed whenever a receptor can be devised and the pollutant is inert to the reagents employed.